Until the idea of relocating the capital gains traction in power corridors, the immediate focus should be on tackling the root causes of pollution and ensuring a greener capital in Delhi
By Kiran N. Kumar
Winter in New Delhi, India’s national capital, has reflected some of the worst air quality figures in decades, forcing authorities to implement strict measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and prevent further environmental degradation imposing Stage-III (“Severe Air Quality”) and Stage-IV (“Severe Plus”) restrictions.
Under Stage-IV restrictions, all construction activities are halted, non-essential diesel trucks are banned from entering the city, and schools (except for grades 10 and 12) are required to shift to hybrid learning formats. As Delhiites brace for another toxic and grueling winter, the topic of relocating the capital for cleaner air has emerged, with no visible support in the power corridors of Lutyens’ Delhi.
READ: Pollution makes Delhi one of the most dangerous cities in the world to live in (November 7, 2016)
While the capital’s iconic monuments and colonial-era structures remain steeped in history, suggestions to move the capital from smog-choked Delhi to another city have remained dormant solely for cleaner air, unless Keynesian economics pushes the nation’s future trajectory toward growth and development that aligns with the demands of the coming century.
Two months ago, opposition MP from Congress Shashi Tharoor described Delhi as “uninhabitable” during winter months and raised the oft-repeated question: “Should it even remain the nation’s capital?” Echoing a similar view, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (a political party in Tamil Nadu) spokesperson Salem Dharanidharan said, “Capital should be moved to Chennai, the safest and cleanest city in India. Moving the capital to Chennai would also do wonders for federalism.”
Setting aside political overtones, all the three major cities like Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata — each dealing with varied pollution struggles — are far from ideal. Kolkata, for example, has an AQI of 212, while Mumbai and Chennai stand at 119 and 135, respectively. Despite their historic importance, these cities are often prone to extreme weather conditions such as storms, floods, and heavy rainfall, which could complicate the choice for a capital shift.
READ: 92% of world’s population lives in places where quality is dangerously low, says WHO report (September 28, 2016)
A global study warns that if temperatures rise by just two degrees Celsius, many coastal cities, including New York, Tokyo, Miami, and Guangzhou, will face significant flooding. By 2100, sea levels could rise faster than at any point in human history, putting entire coastal metropolises at risk. “If warming continues above 2 °C, then, by 2100, sea level will be rising faster than at any time during human civilization,” the authors of the study stated in their report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
In Southeast Asia, Jakarta is already sinking due to a combination of rapid urban growth, water extraction, and subsidence. The Indonesian government has made the costly decision to relocate its capital at a staggering price of $35 billion. Tokyo and Seoul, too, are grappling with the threat of rising seas, exacerbated by global warming.
Given these factors, the prospect of shifting India’s capital to a coastal city seems unrealistic. Most of the inland regions of the Indo-Gangetic Plain—an area near and around Delhi that contributes significantly to air pollution—are similarly affected by environmental degradation.
READ: Indo-Gangetic plain, New Delhi one of most polluted regions in world: NASA research (July 7, 2016)
The hilly regions of the Northeast, the Western Ghats, or other coastal areas stretching from the East to West are among the greener areas but still present ecological challenges.
History offers different lesson
Eliminating coastal cities as potential alternatives to Delhi, the best option might seem to be an inland city. However, the entire Indo-Gangetic Plain, which surrounds the current national capital, suffers from severe pollution due to human activities, contributing heavily to the deteriorating air quality in Delhi and surrounding Tier-II and Tier-III cities.